The Thing with Big Feet

I’m 5′ tall, and wear 6.5 size shoes. Average size feet for an average height, so I can wiggle into most types of footwear. But my best friend, my neighbour, and at least seven other women I know, who’re taller than 5’7" can never find a decent pair of shoes in this country. I know a woman who actually settled for a pair of men’s floaters out of sheer desperation. Of course you may argue that Indian cities don’t have good footwear at all but at least some of us stand a decent chance of fitting into a pair if ever we find one. There are a few stores in Mumbai which make shoes to your size, but there’s something terribly gawky about our custom-fit shoes, they’re punishment footwear, not quite the same as bespoke Berlutis. I don’t have the numbers to prove it, but I think Indians are taller than they’ve ever been before. Just look at our actresses: Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai… these are not small women. But I bet none of them buy shoes in India anymore.

I’m 5′ tall, and wear 6.5 size shoes. Average size feet for an average height, so I can wiggle into most types of footwear. But my best friend, my neighbour, and at least seven other women I know, who’re taller than 5’7" can never find a decent pair of shoes in this country. I know a woman who actually settled for a pair of men’s floaters out of sheer desperation. Of course you may argue that Indian cities don’t have good footwear at all but at least some of us stand a decent chance of fitting into a pair if ever we find one. There are a few stores in Mumbai which make shoes to your size, but there’s something terribly gawky about our custom-fit shoes, they’re punishment footwear, not quite the same as bespoke Berlutis. I don’t have the numbers to prove it, but I think Indians are taller than they’ve ever been before. Just look at our actresses: Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai… these are not small women. But I bet none of them buy shoes in India anymore.

About The Author

Manju Sara Rajan